Kupuna Education Center at Kapi’olani Community College has received funding from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation to start the Kupuna Adult Care Home Project.

This project will:

Upgrade the skills and capacities of caregivers and operators of Adult Residential Care Homes (ARCH) and adult foster homes through training.

As the state continues to pursue home and community based placements, the small residential homes’ ability to provide an optimal quality of care and life for the frail elderly is becoming increasingly important.

Project Overview

Kupuna Adult Care Home Project has created a resource and training program for the small residential homes.

The following 9 training modules have been developed and training sessions were conducted in 2010 and 2011.

Developing Recreational Activities

Making Medications Available

Fall Prevention

Dementia Care

Challenging Behaviors

Diabetes Management

Incontinence Care

Resident-Centered Care

Nutrition and Dining

Future training sessions are being considered to repeat the training for these popular topics:

Nutrition and Dining(Monday evening in February 2012, date to be announced)

Diabetes Management(Date to be announced)

Challenging Behaviors(Date to be announced)

Background

Staff in ARCH and adult foster homes historically has had:

Limited training in managing the complex health, personal and social care needs of the frail elder

No infrastructure to provide training and education for them

This project intends to:

Talk with leaders of care home and adult foster home associations to understand the concerns of their members who care for the frail elders